The October Revolution of Jazz & Contemporary Music

Ars Nova Workshop (ANW) and FringeArts present a new jazz and contemporary music festival unlike anything Philadelphia has seen – or heard: The October Revolution of Jazz & Contemporary Music. This four-day, multi-venue listening festival centers at FringeArts’ waterfront headquarters, 140 N. Columbus Blvd. (at Race Street) from October 5-8, 2017. Full festival passes start at $165 and are available by phone at 215-413-1318 or online at FringeArts.com. Tickets are very limited.

In 1964, jazz legend Bill Dixon pioneered a seminal DIY jazz festival in New York City called The October Revolution in Jazz. The festival featured many artists ultimately presented by ANW and representative of ANW’s foundational curatorial focus, such as Dixon, John Tchicai, Paul Bley, Alan Silva, Giuseppi Logan, and Sun Ra – musicians who interrogated and redefined most of the conventions of jazz. Today, in 2017, Philadelphia’s premier experimental jazz presenter Ars Nova Workshop carries that torch with a four-day deep listening festival, The October Revolution (OctRev). OctRev is a dynamic festival experience constructed out of a variety of sonic adventures and revelations, led by musicians and artists who are pushing boundaries and opening borders.

Ars Nova Workshop is a Philadelphia nonprofit jazz and experimental music presenting organization. ANW informs, inspires, and challenges listeners to elevate the role of jazz, improvisation, and experimental music in contemporary culture. ANW events provide a forum for discourse, emergent trends in contemporary music, and unique forms of cultural exchange, while nurturing a diverse community for innovative music.